Anyone who’s watched some UFC or done some MMA training themselves will be very familiar with Conor McGregor. He’s a striking guy. His cockiness and confidence in the octagon is only exceeded by what can only be described as an incredible physique.
He isn’t the burliest man in UFC. Nor does he have that classic wiry frame you see in a lot of martial artists. Instead he has this fascinating, lithe combination of strength, flexibility and speed.
His musculature and movement patterns make you wonder if he’s the product of a snake and a pitbull drinking too much one night while listening to Barry White. Of course, a lot of his amazing physical prowess boils down to the fact that he won the genetic lottery. But, to state the bleeding obvious, there’s a bunch of hard work there too.
Fortunately, McGregor is not a man to shy away from the press and he’s provided a lot of information about how he got where he is. Here are a few key elements of how he got his body.
A Focus on Body Weight Exercises
McGregor is famous for his fluidity. He attributes much of this to the way he trains. While he does his share of heavy weights, much of his training is simply about using body weight effectively. We’re talking a lot of the classic exercises which have been around forever: squats, pull ups, push ups, plyometrics.
This science backs this up too. Recent research into the effectiveness of body weight exercising yielded some surprising results. After a 45 minute body-weight training session your metabolism can remain elevated for a staggering 45 hours. That’s close to two days of extra fat burning from one workout!
The great news here for people eager to walk in McGregor’s footsteps is that you can easily begin that journey from home. Beachbody offers a range of home workout programs which are specifically designed to build fitness, strength, flexibility and balance using nothing but your body, the floor and a mat.
Eating Clean
No gold stars awarded here for intuiting that a big chunk of McGregor’s physique can be attributed to diet. However, it is surprising perhaps that his diet isn’t especially complicated or extreme. He boils it down to eating clean.
We’re talking about healthy proportions of protein (around 30% of your diet), lean healthy fats (30%) and carbs (40%). Avoid sugar. That’s it!
Note that this diet is the diet of someone who is working out constantly and putting constant strain on their muscles. However, whatever point you’re at the fundamental principles remain much the same. Focus on a clean diet, drink lots of water and make an effort not to sabotage all that clean living with too much fast food!
Focusing Beyond Simple Strength Training
While Conor is undoubtedly a muscle truck of a human, he’s also incredibly limber. He repeatedly emphasizes the importance of taking stretching exercise very seriously. And we’re not just talking a few obligatory stretches before getting to the weight bench, either.
McGregor incorporates extensive stretching into his daily routine, focusing on building and maintaining flexibility just as much as building muscle mass. It’s as important a component of his training as building strength.
Again, there’s a lot of cold hard sports medicine research to back this strategy up. Flexibility has been proven to be a key ingredient of avoiding injuries as you age, as well as increasing muscle endurance and injury resistance at any level of athleticism, including elite sports level.
One great way to find that flexibility is to incorporate yoga into your weekly workout. Or you can check out more contemporary options, including tabbata and Piyo (a fun mashup of pilates and yoga which will hurt!).
Mixing It Up
This is perhaps the most frustrating and challenging aspect of McGregor’s approach. There’s no single formula. If you look closely at his description of how he works, he emphasizes experimentation and a constant state of flux.
One day, he might spend hours working a heavy bag and swimming. Another day he’ll be doing old school chin ups and balance work.
Time and time again, he talks about the importance of variety—of constantly shocking the muscles and mind into new ways to stretch and strive.
This makes the body adaptable and resilient in a way that a simple workout regimen could never deliver.
So, if you want McGregor’s physique perhaps the steepest challenge is finding something new and challenging to do every day!
All I can say is, good luck! It’s a tough goal to meet but trying to get there has to be good for you.
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